All their lives, adopted people are told they're lucky. But, in truth, their lives are riddled with mental health hazards, from identity insecurity to a dramatically heightened risk of depression and suicide.
This project focuses on one of the largest transnational, transracial adoptee populations to date, international Korean adoptees, and the mental health issues they experience in South Korea. Of the estimated (though likely underestimated) 170,000 children the country has sent away since the Korean War, about 1,000 adult adoptees return every year for short- or long-term stays, many in an effort to heal from the trauma of loss and displacement. But without Korean citizenship, voting rights, or language fluency, they often struggle to access the care and support they need.
